Month: December 2015

For our fourth walk we decided to venture out of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve so we went to Dairy Farm Nature Park, nestled aside Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. With Serin at the helm as our lead guide we led the group into the nature park. As we headed into Wallace Trail, Serin spotted a Colugo (Galeopterus variegatus)perched about 2 meters above the ground. These creatures are regular sights on nature walks and never cease to amaze visitors with their curious appearance!

The first leg of the Wallace Trail was relatively uneventful but as we exited, we stumbled upon a fruiting Fig Tree. Many Pink-necked Green Pigeons (Treron vernans) were seen fluttering around, feeding on the figs. Figs are important keystone species and help support a wide variety of forest creatures!

While the group had a toilet-break, Serin and Ing Sind stumbled upon the carcass of a Striped Bronzeback (Dendrelaphis caudolineatus) that had probably been preyed upon by a raptor. After the toilet break we gathered in the Wallace Education Centre and Ing Sind told the participants about Alfred Russel Wallace’s endeavours in Singapore.

As we were about to enter the second part of the Wallace trail Ing Sind spotted a male Common Gliding Lizard (Draco sumatranus) high up on a branch of a tree! Soon, it was joined by another male, which glided onto the tree and started flagging the other male by flashing its dewlap. It was an amazing display to behold!

Early in the second leg of the Wallace trail, Serin spotted a beautiful Saint Andrew’s Cross Spider on its web. At this point in the walk, the sun was out in full force and we saw a Clouded Monitor Lizard (Varanus nebulosus) taking full advantage of the heat and basking in it.

We made a loop and ended up back at the Wallace Education Centre. Another Flying Lizard was spotted, and this time it was a female! On the same tree was another male flying lizard trying to court the female. As we were admiring the courtship ritual a larger male glided onto the tree and chased off the smaller individual.

While we were photographing the Flying Lizards one of our participant cried out in awe. We turned and saw a majestic Grey-headed Fish Eagle (Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus) soaring high above our heads. It was a fantastic way to end off our fourth walk! We look forward to many many more. Thank you to all the participants who turned up. We hope you had an excellent time!

Check out more photos from some of our participants![1] – Lu Zhong Ke shares some of his photos from the Herp Walk here

In an effort to promote an awareness of Singapore’s natural and historical heritage, and to promote conversations amongst Singaporeans, the HSS has begun the Herp Walk @ Dairy Farm Nature Park. We want to raise awareness, in particular, about Herps! These misunderstood creatures are often thought of as scary or unnecessary. But we want to show Singaporeans that Herps are important and integral to the Singaporean ecosystem! You can read about our previous Herp Walk at this link!

This walk will take place on Saturday19th December 2015, 9AM-12PM

So, do come down for a leisurely stroll along the Nature Park. Let the guides regale you with tales about the transformation of the entire area over the years. Learn about this green space that plays home to amazing biodiversity! If you’re lucky, you might get to see some of our scaly friends! Best of all, it’s absolutely free! So don’t wait and register at this link!